The front door was locked and the neon "open" sign was off Monday at The Fountain Hotel & Suites.

Mark Guerra, who is listed on Facebook as the hotel's owner, could not be reached for comment on why the 24-room hotel at 3807 Houston Highway closed.

Records in the Victoria County tax assessor-collector's office shows the business is $55,786.47 behind in taxes.

Overdue taxes relate to the land the business sits on, according to tax office documents. The business itself is paid up.

The hotel opened in February 2008.

Fountain's close meant America's Best Value Inn & Suites, which sits next door, picked up a few extra guests, but nothing extreme, said Keith Totah, who manages the 120-room hotel. Although the influx is nice, no one wants to see a local business fail, he said.

The close should not have a great impact on Victoria's travel industry, said Bridgette Bise, executive director of the Victoria Convention and Visitors Bureau. The hotel didn't have the number of rooms or occupancy rate that others do.

"Still, we'd like to see it open again," Bise said, explaining that people from the oil field and other industries stayed there. "It's a good property to have, and it's at a convenient location. I hope that they'll be able to work with the city and get current with their taxes."